Sydney agency Pollen was tasked to evolve and modernise the Gumtree brand to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive marketplace environment, whilst staying true to the brand’s valued heritage.
Working with Gumtree since 2011, Pollen’s local adaptation took the logo work from the UK (completed by design house Koto) and developed supporting brand assets, such as brand and motion guidelines, platform updates and all internal launch material for the local market.
“We are proud of our long-term relationship with Gumtree,” Pollen director Brett Mitchell said.
“In close collaboration with the team there, we have been designing the primary platform for over six years. Whilst we’ve enjoyed helping to evolve the brand into the vibrant community marketplace it is today, there comes a point when you’ve pushed the green and pastel yellow pixels to their limits and it’s time to move on.”
Pollen’s focus was on developing a truly digital-first brand presence, with accessibility and adaptability at the core.
According to Pollen creative director Ross Gales, digital brands live in a dynamic environment, so the agency took the opportunity to consider the motion aspects of the brand as a key ingredient to creating an engaging online and mobile experience.
“Gumtree is more than a logo; it’s a thriving marketplace that connects people, so it all comes back to the user experience,” Gales said.
“The brand needs to speak to people in the right way so we worked closely with Gumtree’s copy team to ensure it was tonally hitting the right notes, from the welcome messages for new users through to the system-generated emails. The brand now communicates to its users in a consistent and personalised way.”
James Walmsley, senior marketing manager at Gumtree, said: “Pollen was the ideal partner to help develop an updated version of Gumtree Australia, to coincide with our 10th birthday.
“This is the most significant step in our history, and we’ll continue to work closely with Pollen to ensure a consistent and smooth roll-out as we continue to evolve and grow.”
